Vast fields of baby cabbages stretch like a green carpet under the Qilian Mountains in Zhangye, Gansu province. [Photo provided to gogansu.com]

On Sept 23, the concentrated harvest period began for 12,000 mu (800 hectares) of highland summer vegetables at the Shandan Horse Farm in Shandan county, Zhangye, Gansu province. Vast fields of baby cabbages stretched like a green carpet under the Qilian Mountains, with farmers busy picking, sorting, and packing produce into refrigerated trucks waiting by the fields.

Harvested baby cabbages are neatly loaded onto a truck. [Photo provided to gogansu.com]

Grown at an altitude of 2,500 meters and irrigated with snowmelt from the Qilian Mountains, crops such as baby cabbage, broccoli, and fruit celery boast outstanding quality. The baby cabbage is tightly packed and sweet, each weighing over 0.6 kilograms, with a yield of about 7,000 heads per mu. The low-fiber fruit celery sells for 3-5 times the price of ordinary celery and is highly popular in major cities.

Water-saving drip irrigation systems run through the fields. [Photo provided to gogansu.com]

Drip irrigation systems running through the fields help reduce water usage by more than 40 percent compared to traditional methods, supporting crop growth while protecting the local environment. Through an order-based agricultural model, fresh vegetables can reach dining tables in more than 20 provinces within 48 hours.

The harvest has also stimulated the development of supporting industries such as packaging and cold-chain logistics, creating a win-win outcome for both ecological conservation and farmers' income. It stands as a vivid example of eco-friendly agriculture flourishing at the foot of the Qilian Mountains.

Farmers pick rows of baby cabbages in a field. [Photo provided to gogansu.com]